Powder touring ski options

This is the World Famous TelemarkTalk / TelemarkTips Forum, by far the most dynamic telemark and backcountry skiing discussion board on the world wide web. We have fun here, come on in and be a part of it.
User avatar
fisheater
Posts: 2509
Joined: Fri Feb 19, 2016 8:06 pm
Location: Oakland County, MI
Ski style: All my own, and age doesn't help
Favorite Skis: Gamme 54, Falketind 62, I hope to add a third soon
Favorite boots: Alpina Alaska, Alico Ski March
Occupation: Construction Manager

Re: Powder touring ski options

Post by fisheater » Wed Jan 15, 2020 8:07 pm

I thought Neptune had some FT’s. I like them, but I do not have the snowpack you have. I have trail skis (touring) and touring for turns skis, when I am skiing a trail to downhill ski. I really think for where you are at, and from what I have read from the Tahoe area. A Vector class ski and light plastic boots are the shiznit.
I was suggesting the FT or the Ingstad as NNN options. I’m really hoping you find what you like. Then I hope you post cool pictures and stories. I really mean that, good luck.

User avatar
jyw5
Posts: 489
Joined: Tue Nov 19, 2019 12:52 am

Re: Powder touring ski options

Post by jyw5 » Wed Jan 15, 2020 8:26 pm

It was no problem ordering and shipping to the US from SportAlbert in Germany. I got my FT62 and bindings in a week. The Pomoca 62mm race pro 2.0 skins are great. light and fast uphill. remove the skins at the top without taking the skis off. its a great setup but I am still wobbly downhill...hopefully will get better with more practice.

Also, I noticed putting Polar grip wax (V05) on the whole ski and blue wax in the kick zone works very well for gentle slopes and allows for better control going downhill. The ski without wax felt like I was on ice skates as a kid...falling every 10 seconds. Wax is amazing. I now use both -- Polar and blue grip wax and skins + Colltex skin wax...depending on the steepness and conditions,...wax only, Xskins, or full skins.



User avatar
treehugger
Posts: 47
Joined: Wed Jan 02, 2019 10:08 am

Re: Powder touring ski options

Post by treehugger » Thu Jan 16, 2020 6:37 pm

fisheater wrote:
Wed Jan 15, 2020 8:07 pm
I really think for where you are at, and from what I have read from the Tahoe area. A Vector class ski and light plastic boots are the shiznit.
I was suggesting the FT or the Ingstad as NNN options. I’m really hoping you find what you like. Then I hope you post cool pictures and stories. I really mean that, good luck.
Totally agree. Insgstad or FT with nnnbc. More I think about it if I want a powder ski (in future) I should go with plastic boot and wider ski like hyper vector. I know tons of people up here using similar set-up in BC (and resorts). For now I love the touring aspect more than the downhill so I'm going for wider skinny skis. Rereading my original post I realized touring and kick and glide was something that was essential. Easy for the imagination to get side tracked. Thanks for all the advice!

Be glad to share pictures. Very scenic up here. Hope you like dog pics because my Husky in deep pow is hysterical.

Neptune only has old FT68 not FT62.

JYWS I've checked out SportAlberta but it wasn't really clear what the total cost would be. How much did you end up paying and was there import taxes/fees?



User avatar
fisheater
Posts: 2509
Joined: Fri Feb 19, 2016 8:06 pm
Location: Oakland County, MI
Ski style: All my own, and age doesn't help
Favorite Skis: Gamme 54, Falketind 62, I hope to add a third soon
Favorite boots: Alpina Alaska, Alico Ski March
Occupation: Construction Manager

Re: Powder touring ski options

Post by fisheater » Thu Jan 16, 2020 7:19 pm

Treehugger,
I ordered my FT from Sport Albert. It was cheaper for me to order bindings and X-skins from Neptune. I believe I used a website to convert dollars to Euros to figure out what I was spending. However when I checked out maybe with PayPal? I was given a total in US dollars.
That is when the worst part happened. I received a confirmation email in German. I was concerned my skis were going to be stuck in New York, with a duty owed. However my fears were unfounded. DHL delivered to my door in about a week. My internal clock really didn’t allow me to worry much, because they arrived so quickly.
So other than a confirmation email in Deutch, I was very pleased with my Sport Albert purchase experience.
I didn’t pay any import fees, unless they were included in the $100 plane ride from Germany.



User avatar
jyw5
Posts: 489
Joined: Tue Nov 19, 2019 12:52 am

Re: Powder touring ski options

Post by jyw5 » Fri Jan 17, 2020 1:45 am

Exactly! SportsAlbert is awesome. I cut and paste the whole german email into google translate and read it just fine. Also, my first time ordering, they sent me an invoice and I had some questions and asked if there was someone that could respond in English and the next day someone replied to me in English. That site is great. They mounted NNN BC bindings to the FT62s and I got them in a week.

I am now waiting for several pairs of xskins and Alfa Guard boots...should arrive next wk.

Shipping isn't bad and the strong dollar helps alot. I paid in euros with my cc on paypal since my cc doesn't charge me foreign exchange fees. if you pay in USD, the exchange rate you get isn't good (you may pay 3-5% more).

It's not the absolute best prices, but service is fantastic and you can get stuff that you can't get here in N. America.

If Neptune has exactly what you want, it may be better...but I live in Alaska and the shipping from them was about the same as SportsAlbert in Germany...and SportsAlbert had more selection.



User avatar
treehugger
Posts: 47
Joined: Wed Jan 02, 2019 10:08 am

Re: Powder touring ski options

Post by treehugger » Sat Jan 25, 2020 8:16 pm

jyw5 wrote:
Wed Jan 15, 2020 8:26 pm

Also, I noticed putting Polar grip wax (V05) on the whole ski and blue wax in the kick zone works very well for gentle slopes and allows for better control going downhill. The ski without wax felt like I was on ice skates as a kid...falling every 10 seconds. Wax is amazing. I now use both -- Polar and blue grip wax and skins + Colltex skin wax...depending on the steepness and conditions,...wax only, Xskins, or full skins.
I'm inclined to get wax version of Ingstad but not quite sure what conditions it is an advantage. Like the idea of being able to adjust to conditions. From what I've read generally wax excels in cold snow and waxless has an advantage in softer warm snow. Not sure which has the edge in powder although I guess that would be considered colder conditions? Local conditions consist of frequent deep fresh powder, lots of soft dense snow and months of excellent corn.

Any thoughts on which suits my local conditions



User avatar
fisheater
Posts: 2509
Joined: Fri Feb 19, 2016 8:06 pm
Location: Oakland County, MI
Ski style: All my own, and age doesn't help
Favorite Skis: Gamme 54, Falketind 62, I hope to add a third soon
Favorite boots: Alpina Alaska, Alico Ski March
Occupation: Construction Manager

Re: Powder touring ski options

Post by fisheater » Sat Jan 25, 2020 9:40 pm

Wax is awesome in powder. X-skins are reported to be good in not good wax conditions. Read the X-skins Klister thread



User avatar
jyw5
Posts: 489
Joined: Tue Nov 19, 2019 12:52 am

Re: Powder touring ski options

Post by jyw5 » Sun Jan 26, 2020 3:11 am

I spent alot of time in Tahoe when I was a kid. I learned to ski at Kirkwood and Alpine Meadows. As an adult I have had the opportunity and fortune to ski in many different places and I can tell you that the snow in Tahoe is not light and highly variable. You will most likely need 2-3 pairs of skis if you are serious about it. I have become a junky...I have 6 pairs of skis that I regularly use...thanks to this site!!!

My take on it coming from a strong alpine background is that you need to decide if you want to use plastic boots and telefake or if you want light leathers or soft synthetic boots and "xcd". In my opinion, if you get plastic boots, you mind as well get an AT setup with pin bindings. If you want to tour with light gear and try something challenging and exhilarating, get leather boots and NNN BC. Some may not agree, but this is my opinion. I like the light leather boots...no buckles, easy to put on and take off... I hate clunky uncomfortable plastic.

Also, since you are new to the sport, if you choose NNN BC and soft boots (not plastic), I recommend wider skis with fishscales like the S112 for Tahoe. also, especially for your weight and height. They are easy to turn with good flotation. Handles well in heavy snow. The big negative is that they are slow and suck on flat terrain and wet isothermal warm snow. But they allow you to ski steep terrain slowly...which is important when you are learning to xcd. They are an abomination on frozen boilerplate and breakable crust. I would not use it for a multiday trip as you would end up taking them off and walking if you encountered those conditions. I typically use them to ski slopes of 1000ft/mile.

The FT62 is great in perfect new snow for xcd. So much fun...but its an advanced ski. narrow and light. Crud and crust are terrible. It has a high learning curve. If you ski often, it is a great ski. I ski 4 days/wk and in the last 2 months, since I bought them, I am getting used to them now. Each time I take them out, I am getting better.

In spring/summer corn, the S112 is fun! I wouldn't use the expensive beautiful FT62 for that...don't want to ruin them from all the pebbles, rocks, and sticks... get cheap full skins and EZ skins for the s112 instead.

If money is no object, I would get all Asnes skis. Fischer S Bound skis are decent skis and sometimes you can find them on sale. I got the S112s for $180 and the S125 for $250 a few years ago brand new. I scored the NNN BC bindings for $45 each. But this past November, I paid about $600 for the FT62 and NNN BC bindings. Expensive, but they are truly amazing.

Hope this helps!



User avatar
lowangle al
Posts: 2731
Joined: Sat Jan 11, 2014 3:36 pm
Location: Pocono Mts / Chugach Mts
Ski style: BC with focus on downhill perfection
Favorite Skis: powder skis
Favorite boots: Scarpa T4
Occupation: Retired cement mason. Current job is to take my recreation as serious as I did my past employment.

Re: Powder touring ski options

Post by lowangle al » Sun Jan 26, 2020 7:20 am

jyw5 wrote:
Sun Jan 26, 2020 3:11 am


My take on it coming from a strong alpine background is that you need to decide if you want to use plastic boots and telefake or if you want light leathers or soft synthetic boots and "xcd". In my opinion, if you get plastic boots, you mind as well get an AT setup with pin bindings. If you want to tour with light gear and try something challenging and exhilarating, get leather boots and NNN BC. Some may not agree, but this is my opinion. I like the light leather boots...no buckles, easy to put on and take off... I hate clunky uncomfortable plastic.
Plastic boots = telefake Could you explain this, otherwise it was a good post.



User avatar
jyw5
Posts: 489
Joined: Tue Nov 19, 2019 12:52 am

Re: Powder touring ski options

Post by jyw5 » Sun Jan 26, 2020 1:25 pm

thanks!

"telefake" I think refers to what some on this site who think that you can get away with sloppier form when you wear stiff plastic boots vs. soft leather boots that doesnt have ankle and shin support. I suppose there is some truth in it. No offense to those who wear plastic boots...I think one has to weigh out the pros and cons for wearing them. Treehugger is new to the sport and will be doing gentle slopes...touring. I personally feel plastic boots are overkill for that. Plastic boots are great if you are skiing steep and/or difficult terrain but if he already has an AT setup or split board, it may negate some the benefits of buying a 3pin telemark setup. Also, if he plans to k&g some flattish terrain, leathers/skinnies make sense. Also, spring/summer corn usually requires some hiking...for that I usually wear approach shoes or trailrunners and have my soft boots attached to the bindings and tied to my pack in the summer. Again, plastic boots with buckles are bulky and makes transitioning a real chore...especially if the snowfield is really short...or segmented.


My reason for doing xcd started when I started climbing and realized I couldn't climb well with ski boots and couldn't ski well with mountaineering boots. So the easier solution was to practice skiing with soft boots (I refuse to climb steep pitches with ski boots and crampons). One of my friends brought two boots on Denali last season...I don't think I like that either. Also, my AT boots are very uncomfortable to walk in and a pain in the butt to put on and take off at the trailhead (and not fun to do when its -5F, like the last 2 wks).

Other reasons too...since I can't ski as well vs. AT plastic, I have more fun with easier slopes and stay out of avy zones completely when skiing alone or with my wife which is most of the time.



Post Reply